Ex-bomber crew member recalls flights

I was born Dec. 21, 1922, in Fremont, Ind., and entered the service on Feb. 9, 1943. After basic training I was assigned to Amarillo Army Air Field for airplane mechanic school.

I was assigned to a B-17 bomber crew as a flight engineer and top turret gunner. He flew 33 missions over Europe in 83 days.

My second mission was over Berlin, Germany. It looked awful. On June 6, D-Day, we were scheduled for three missions. The first was early in the morning. There was some cloud cover, just enough to see hundreds of ships in the channel. It looked like someone had dropped a box of matches. Clouds moved in and the rest of the missions were canceled.

I also flew three missions to Munich, Germany. You could see the Alps. I was awarded the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Back in the states, I was discharged in October 1945 in Amarillo. I enjoyed the Panhandle weather so much I just stayed.